Bb day. Cube week 9.

Sort of injured my traps due to the racking for my squats or smth. Hard to keep tight on my bench. Was worried about it so asked Twain for advice and he said go try hit my opener for double and see how.

Warmup with bench

Bar * 10

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 3

120 * 1 

130 * 2 (PR)

Hit my open for double. Smooth and controlled. Felt good to go for more. Both 120/130 was competition style with commands and pause.

Triceps hell (1-5 board)

3*1-5 * 2

3*1-4 * 1 + 7 reps for my 5board

Strong presses, happy with my performance 

DB press

20*12,15,20

8 pull-ups 

Going see sinseh now. End of cube method. 9 weeks down. 1 week of rest and recovery to go. 

Squat. Cube week 9.

Warmups 

Lunges * 15, banded GM * 15

Squats 

Bar * 10 * 3

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 5

120 * 3

140 * 2 * 8

Pause squats

140 * 1 * 2 (1s)

Wide stance GM

60 * 8 * 3

Front squat 

60 * 15 * 2

Squats 

60 * 70

Abs

40 sit-ups 

Back. Cube week 9.

My left knee gave me problem when warming up. Even lunges with bw hurts :/ right palm is still swollen and tender to touch. Form is still bad, making my lockout harder than it should be. Not a good session overall :/ 

Warmup

Adductor/abductor * 15, banded GM * 15 * 2 sets. 

Deadlifts

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 5

140 * 3

160 * 2 * 2. At this point of time the bar is moving very fast so I felt quite good. 

180 * 1

200 * 0/1. First set was belt less and unchalked. Grip gave way on my right hand. Wanted to go for a belt less PR but disappointed at myself. Belt up and chalked and got it.

210 * 0. Form is bad. Back rounded. Tim said I straighten my legs too fast so locking out is pure lower back. Grind for a while and decided to fuck it to avoid injury. Tempted to go for another one but decided to call it a day. Rest my injured hand too.

Snatch grip dl

100 * 8 * 2. Back also round :/ but lock out at the top. Improved but not there yet.

DB one arm row

45 * 10/10/20

DB shrugs

25 * 12 * 2 with 2s iso-hold

Up and down plank 

50 one shot. 

Need to fix my hand soon.

Bench. Cube week 9.

Worked out with Cephas at fitness first today. Luxury gym for luxurious gainz. But the bench sucks big time. It is shaped like a sofa, wide and thickly padded, making it very hard for me to keep tight on the bench. Shall avoid benching there in the future should I go again. Dumbbells go up to 50kg though. 

Warmup 

Push-ups, triceps push down, band pull apart * 15 * 2

Close grip bench

40 * 12

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 3

120 * 2 * 5

Speed was there for the first 4 sets, last set slowed down quite a bit but for close grip I would say it's okay. 

Incline db bench

30 * 15,15,30 

Triceps rope push down

17.5 * 100 

Instantly regret using that weight as the rope is worn and it's harder for me to pull apart. Last 20 reps was broken down into mini sets of 5 with me forcing out each rep. Hell.

Db press (shoulder) 

30 * 10 

26 * 10 * 2

Lowered the weight as the first set didn't felt as good as I want to. The later sets felt more stable.

Cable flyes

12.5 * 15 * 3

Dem chest pump

Leg raises * 50

Did some log press for fun. Fitness first is a fun place to gym but not one which I see myself gymming seriously as it is too commercialized. 

Squat. Cube week 8.

Eh horrible session. Different environment really play a big part on my performance. 

Squats for warmups 

60 * 10 

65 * 10

Squats 

85 * 5

105 * 3

125 * 3

135 * 2

145 * 2

155 * 2

165 * 0, failed 

Okay my left knee is really giving me problem. 

Pause squat (2s)

120 * 3 * 2 

Good morning

65 * 8 * 3

Squats 

65 * 40

Leg curl 

12 * 3

Okay overall bad session. Left knee giving me problem still from the last squat session. Lots of things left undone due to limited equipment but got my main lifts in. Abel is a very explosive squatter while I am more of a slow grinder. Need to move faster to lift more weight. Hope the haze clear for good soon. 

Bench. Cube week 8.

Throat is on fire. PSI 290. Record high in Singapore. Lungs feel like it's on fire.

Warmup

Band push downs * 15/25, push-ups 15, band pull apart 15/20

Floor press

Bar * 10

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 3

120 * 2 * 7 + 6 (last set AMRAP)

Incline DB bench

25 * 20,30 * 20

Close grip bench

80 * 12 * 3

Band flyes

45 * 1

Band push downs

100

DB Press

22.5 * 12 * 3

1st set

8th set with absolute fail

Close grip 80*12 

Workout was good. Triceps was shifting about the past few days (CNS overtaxed). Was suppose to hit 127.5*2 for 8 sets but decided to listen to my body and do with 120kg. Was a good call as the speed was fast for all my sets. Today (20/6/2013), no aching as of now though the haze is bad. Affecting my throat. I hope that I can set a record with my bench still (at least 150kg) and also rep the most reps with my BW (really curious about my own strength).

Collected my 1MR from Heechai at Nutrifirst today. Get your supps from Nutrifirst

Back. Cube week 8.

Warmup

Lunges, banded GM, adductor/abductor * 15 * 2

Deadlift

60*5

80*5*2

100*5

140*3

180*2*5

4" block pull

120*12*3

Ssb oly squat 

100*8*3

DB shrugs

22.5*10

30*10*2

Shrugs done with 2 sec iso hold 

Back raises

50

Cat row 

Stack * 15 * 4

Strained my right hand on my first set, tender to touch with mild swelling. This affected my pulling slightly. Lesson learnt: To grip harder. 

Bodybuilding day. Cube week 7.

Tried out my program with Twain. Good session. Had to drop some sets as I was too ambitious in programming. Lol.

Warm up 

Push-ups, band pull apart, band push down * 15 * 2

Bench press

Bar * 10 * 2

60 * 10 * 2

80 * 5

100 * 3

115 * 3 * 6

Learning to keep the head on the bench. Movement is fast for sets where I kept tight. Shall continue working on it.

3 board press

120 * 2

130 * 1

140 * 2 * 2

Tricep hell

Started with flat bench, end with 4 board.

5,5,5,4,3 (rest pause at 3 board, and at 4 board. Shall work on it more.

Press

20 * 12,20,20

Pull-ups 

10 * 3

Face pull/shrugs

16.8 * 15, 25 * 10.

Hold at top for 2-3s for shrugs.

Biceps curls

15 * 25secs

Band push down (mid)

30*4

115kg * 3 * 6sets

Squat. Cube week 7.

Warmup

Lunges, banded GM (thick), leg swings * 15 * 2

Squat

Bar * 10

50 * 10 

70 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 4

120 * 3

132.5 * 2 * 5

Pause squat (3s)

100 * 6 * 2 

Watched the video, actually almost 5s pause (strict Tim is strict)

Reverse band squat (med)

140 * 2 * 2

Didn't realize it is meant to be one set. Lol.

Oly squats

100 * 5 * 5

Leg press 

95 per side * 15

Some dude using one plate hogging the machine so I switch to more squats 

Squats

80 * 15 * 3

Played with hand position. Wide grip really takes off the stress from my shoulders.

Reverse hyper

12 * 3

Overall good session. Can be faster still.

132.5*2

100kg pause * 6

80kg * 15

Plans for bb day

Since there are 5 more bench sessions left including BB day, I shall switch gears and focus on more benching and place press at a lower priority. The next two bench days are rep and explosive so 3 more sessions would not affect my normal bench performance. I plan to do a mini 3 day cycle on the 3 BB day focusing on my lockout. 

Day 1

Flat bench 115 * 3 * 6

3 board bench pause 140 * 2 * 5

Pull-ups (BW) 10 * 3 

Triceps hell (1set)

Press (try to match as prescribed in cube else do some bodybuilding reps 12 * 3 etc)

Face pulls (15 * 5) superset with shrugs (10/2sec iso hold * 5)

Pinwheel (25s * 3) timed set with 1 min rest 

Day 2

Flat bench 130 * 2 * 5

3 board touch and go 120 AMRAP 

Lats pull down 12 * 3 

Press (as prescribed in cube)

Face pull (15 * 5) 

Shrugs 12 * 3 

Triceps overhead extensions (25 * 4)

Pinwheel (35s) 1 min rest

Day 3. 

Flat bench 135 * 1 * 5 

Flat bench (BW AMRAP) 

Pull-ups (10 * 3)

Press (cube prescribed) 

Face pulls (15 * 5)

Triceps hell 

Pinwheel (45s) 

Bench. Cube week 7.

Warmup

Push-ups, band pull aparts, band push downs * 15 * 2

Bench 

Bar * 10

60 * 5

80 * 5

100 * 5

120 * 3

140 * 1

145 * 1 (PR)

150 * 0 (missed, form wasn't tight enough) 

Couldn't lock out with 150kg cuz lost tightness and had to muscle up the bar. Bar moved to mid way and got stuck. Grind for about 2sec but can't get it moving. Decided to add in more heavy bench with 3 board for lockout. Off the chest was fast and that felt good so pretty sure 150kg is in the bag for the meet. Was tempted to go for another rep but decided against it. Train to build strength and not to keep testing it. 

3 board press 

150 * 0 

140 * 1

140 * 2

140 * 3

Missed 150kg when my left tricep sort of gave way. Really wanted to feel the heavy weight. Again tempted to go for another attempt but screw the ego and went for more reps with 140kg. Single felt good and fast so decided to go for more reps. Double felt good and wanted to do another rep but because I told twain I wanted a double so he helped me bring the bar in after my double so I can't get the 3rd rep off my chest after bringing the bar out again. Felt confident though and went for set 3 which I got my 3 reps. Was a bit of a grind at the lockout but lock out nonetheless. 

95 * 15

95 * 11/2/1 

First set was a bit all over the place as my form was a bit thrown off by the sudden increase in bar distance but rep out 15. 2nd set was much better for the first 11 reps. Really smooth and got the groove however my left triceps give way again and rest pause the remaining 3 reps. 

Lats pull down

85 * 12

95 * 12

105 * 12

These felt real easy. Was expecting 85 to be hard then the weights flew up so went up and same thing so went up to 105 which again flew up. Shall rmb this and use heavier weights the next session.

Thick bands pushdowns

25 * 4. Moved fast and squeeze at the bottom of the motion. Thick bands are mother hard. By now my triceps are dying and really had to force my arms to move.

Shrugs

35*15*3

Read from JTS training blog , Corey or someone else , that his DB shrugs never go above 55lbs and it is more about the squeeze. Of cos I had a bit of ego left still so I used 35kg (help improve grip too) and hold the squeeze at the top for 2sec until my ears ring. Real good for traps development.

Db Shoulder press 

20 * 12 * 2 

20 * 15

First 2 sets felt easy so pushed myself for the last set however the 15 reps is a bit disappointing. 

Anyway after today's session, I thank myself for adding in the tricep hell on sats for my off the chest speed is fast. I also found my sticky point (sorta since it could be cuz my form break down). Shall throw in 3 board press/reverse band bench to develop lock out strength. I think a 160kg reverse band bench for triples should be good as it allows me to get use to feeling the weight on top. Either that or stick to 140kg with 3 board for triples and work up to singles. Including sats that is a total of 5 bench sessions left which I will do my best to maximize my results. 

140

145

150 miss

95 *15 

Back. Cube week 7.

Warmup 

Banded GM, lunges, adductor/abductor * 15 * 2

Deadlift 

80*5

125*5

145*4

160*3

170*2

180 * 5 (really had to grind to lock it out, last rep had problem fully locking it out) 

165 * 6 (same problem, had to grind it out) 

Lock out was hard, still need to improve my form. However managed to keep my air in, though need to brace my core more.

4" block pull

180*3*2

SSB oly squat 

100*8*3

GHR

10*4

Back raise

50

Rest period was longer than usual in order to perform with better form. Overall decent session. 

Second Wave of the Cube, Thoughts and Review

Time flies, done with 2nd wave of the Cube as of today. 4 more weeks to the meet and 3 more weeks of training. Next 3 weeks' heavy days will involve 1 rep max effort for the 3 lifts. Shall stay conservative and not fail any reps.

Planned 1RMs

Squat 170kg

Bench 150kg

Deadlift 230kg

This will generate a total of 550kg which will allow me to hit my target goal of being a Class 1 powerlifter. Of course this lifts are all gym lifts but ideally I can perform the same way (or better) on the actual meet day. And now I shall discuss how I felt for the lifts on Wave 2.

Squat 

Still learning how to keep my head neutral but getting better at it. Still not as comfortable as I like to be when in the hole but getting there. Based on this week's squat (rep) day, 135 * 6 was manageable but tough and the 60kg for 65reps shows that I can achieve things once I set my mind to it.

Progress: Based on my heavy day of 155kg * 2, I think I am still progressing well and shall keep at it. Improve my form, keeping my core braced and spine neutral. 

Bench

Becoming more comfortable with my current technique and form. Been doing quite a bit of bench work on my bodybuilding days which seem to be paying off well. Using boards really help with my lock outs and correct my weak spots.  

Progress: 115kg for 12 reps. Seems like I am progressing well for my bench. If Wednesday's 150kg feel light, I have a good standing smashing the record. Speed floor press (120*2) also felt light despite the 1 sec pause as the speed I press at remained constant.  

Deadlift

Heavy single deadlift was okay but technique still need much improvement so will aim to sit back more to engage more hamstrings and hip drive. Got to learn to squeeze my glutes more to drive the bar up. 

Progress: Technical fault caused me to fail on my 230kg but managed to lock it out. Shows that with chalk available, 230kg is not hard to lock out. Shall stop shouting to keep my air in and only shout after I got my lifts. I am quite happy to see my deadlift improve by so much within a few weeks.  

Thoughts 

The Cube encompasses all aspect of training to be a complete powerlifter. From speed to heavy days, every session is hard. However, the sense of satisfaction from completing every single session is just irreplaceable. Every session I am getting stronger and better and one step closer to my goals. Current weight as of today is 89kg in the morning. Still have 4kg to gain but as long as my strength is improving, anything else is secondary for now. Shall start the final assault on my body in the following 3 weeks on Monday. 

You mirin brah?

Press. Cube week 6.

Warmup

Push-ups, band push down, band pull apart * 15 * 2

Press

Bar * 10

45 * 5

55 * 4

65 * 1

67.5 * 1

72.5 * 13

Bench (warm up for board press)

Bar * 10

60 * 10

80 * 5

Felt heavy at this point of time so decided to do tricep hell with 80kg instead of planned 100kg.

Tricep hell (80kg)

1 board, 2 board, 3 board * 5/5/5. Can pause and explode up. Felt light so went for another set. 

1,2,3,2,1 * 5/5/5/5/3 + 2

Much stronger than before. Used to fail with 60kg on the way down. 

Band push down (med)

100 reps

One arm DB row

45 * 10 * 3

Face pulls

11.5 * 15 * 3

Pinwheels

20 * 12 * 3 

Gorilla pullups
15

Squat. Cube week 6.

Warmup

Banded GM, lunges, adductor/abductor stretch * 15 * 2

Squats 

60*10

85 * 5

100 * 4

115 * 3

135 * 6 * 3

Was really tempted to lower the weight to 132.5kg because the bar move really slow on the last rep of my first set but after much encouragement from Twain decided to stick to it. A sigh of relief as I did not fail any rep today.

Pause squat (1s)

140 * 1 * 2

The pause squats were okay. 1 sec is enough, any longer might have problem coming out of the hole. Need to get comfortable in the hole.

Wide stance GM

60 * 8 * 3

Can really work on the form.

Lunges 

20kg per hand * 15 * 3

These are hard, had to break them down to sets of 5 mentally. And had to grip them tight for quite a while.

Oly squats 

60 * 65 + 10 reps after 30 sec rest or so

Today I become one with the bar as I squat for reps. Really got into the groove as I went rep for rep. Watch the video for my expression. Video too long to be uploaded. 5 mins of being under the bar really develops character. Did not shout, just kept staring forward and repping it out. Happy with today's session. Hope no cramps later.

135kg for 6 reps

Bench. Cube week 6.

Warmup

Band pull aparts, triceps pushdown, push-ups * 15 * 2

Explosive floor press with 1 sec pause

20 * 10

60 * 8

80 * 4

95 * 3

110, 112.5, 115, 117.5, 120, 122.5 * 2

6 sets of doubles. Weights fly up fast. Paused at the bottom for 1 sec (counted by Tim). 

Incline bench 

40 * 15, 12, 35 * 12

Band push-downs 

100. Shag.

Standing DB press

20,25,25 * 10 

Band flyes

Thick band * 15 * 3

Hanging leg raise

50 

Easy bench day. Weight felt light. Speed of bar is fast. Can't wait for next bench day.

Lightweight baby

Back. Cube week 6.

Warmup

Banded GM, lunges, adductor and abductors stretch * 15 * 2. 

Deadlifts 

60 * 10

100 * 5

122.5 * 5

140 * 4

165 * 3

190 * 2 

210 * 1

230 * 0/0 

I managed to lockout the first 230kg attempt but lost my footing, resulting in technical disqualification. 2nd attempt failed to lock out below knee level. Shall really really bring up my technique, keep the air in me to keep tight. 

Snatch grip deadlifts

100 * 8

110 * 8

Lower back rounded quite a bit even though I can't feel it. Will remember to keep tight. Better be safe than be sorry.

DB row

45 * 10 * 3

DB shrugs 

45 * 12 * 2

Up and down planks 

50 (30,10,10)

Overall happy that I am still progressing. Could have gotten the 230kg with a better form. Shall watch more videos to visualize a better setup. 5 more weeks left. Real proud to see everyone improving. Will stop shouting and keep the air in me to keep tight. Save the shouting for after pulling 240kg. LET'S GO! 

Being strong is not abnormal, choosing to be weak however is a sin.

190*2. Form still need to improve a lot. Too much lower back

Note to self: Keep the air in for tightness, not shouting

Pumped back of peace

Press. Cube week 5.

Warmup

Band pull-aparts, band pushdowns, push-ups * 15 * 2

Press

Bar * 8

45 * 5 

55 * 4

62.5 * 3

67.5 * 8 * 3

Tricep hell with 100kg

1 set (5 reps with 1,2,3 board)

1 set (failed at 3rd rep of 2 board) 

Laterals

20 * 12 * 5

Lat pull down

110 * 6 * 3

Cable row 

Stack + Sam * 15/20

Cat row

Stack * 15

Various bicep and triceps work with dumbbells and cable. E.g. Pinwheel, Cable overhead extensions, Bicep curl, Db overhead extensions, hammer curls.
Chasing the pump. Had a posing session with Sam. Need to work on posing and getting wider and bigger. 

Triceps Hell with 100kg

My finishing pose?

Met the famous cheerleader Dewi in the gym. Lol. :D

Dave Tates Demo-ing Tricep Hell